TheBodyGuard wrote:Mavs sign Azubuike to a two-year deal. Happy for him. He played well here.

I saw that too! Damn, you figure he's a guy we would've had our eye on; especially Larry Riley. You're telling me Riley was interested in resigning Jeremy Lin once he cleared waivers, but he hasn't put an ounce of thought into bringing back a perfect bench guy in Azubuike??

Granted, Brandon Rush is having a very Azu-esque season, so it may have been a redundant sign, but c'mon. The dude had a few people on here clamoring for him to start back in the day. We should have had our eyes on that one.

Azu just signed a two year deal at vets minimum with the Mavs. All the best to him. Looks like Odom is headed for the DNP from here on out, until playoffs at least. I'd like to have Odom as an option for our starting SF, but only if he something like at his form with the Lakers. This season has been a weird disaster for him

Nah, he's just a typical big man project who came out after a year of college. Most kids that young develop late; look at Jermaine O'Neal. Even Andrew Bogut didn't fill out his game until after his 4th season. Brandan Wright has blossomed into a perfect 4-5 sub off the bench and Dallas is reaping the benefits. He's giving them 6 points, 3 boards, and 1.5 blocks in barely 14 MPG behind Dirk. He also runs the floor like a guard, illustrated by his ranking of 38th in the league in dunks (37 stuffs in 33 games). You can't be dismissive and just give up on big men. The Warriors knew Wright was a project when they took him. Unfortunately, he was groomed (almost from the start) to be a backup... And he's turned into a damn good one.

Let's compare him to everyone's favorite backup center, Ronny Turiaf:

2.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.2 APG1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPGIn 13.5 MPG

vs Wright:

6.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.3 APG0.4 SPG, 1.5 BPGIn 14.2 MPG

Hell, everybody was claiming Kwame Brown was a great backup for us and even with multiple starts under his belt, he stacks up to the list as:

6.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 0.4 APG0.9 SPG, 0.0 BPGIn 20.5 MPG

And, miggy, you're a big Anthony Randolph guy, aren't you? Let's throw him in too just for a goof:

5.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.3 APG0.5 SPG, 0.4 BPGIn 12.0 MPG

Wright is not only a comparable scorer to the skilled Randolph, but he's a better rebounder and nobody on this list can touch what he's done in the shot-blocking department. A fluid 6'10" guy that blocks over 3 shots in starting minutes and dunks at one of the highest rates in the league (thank you, JKidd). For the record, BWright is exactly the kinda guy Golden State could use off the bench now with the loss of Udoh.

Maybe the team should have kept all the drafted big men then? Diogu, O'Bryant, AR, heck, let's say Fuller should have been kept.

You either are happy with a lottery pick being backup quality or you want him to at least be a starter quality player. I want the later with all my lottery picks, though, if it fits, would be happy to have him as a backup. That, ofcourse, is if I had someone already ahead of him in the roster. If I wanted him to be my starting PF or Center and traded my starting SG, who was allstar caliber and a fan favourite (and highlight reel with his dunking), I would get rid of him quick if he didn't fill that role and expectation. Trading Monta for Bogut was ofcourse totally different, we were getting an established, top 5 Center, not a project

Some Warriors fans might not ever forgive Brandan Wright for being the lone piece of dowry in the Jason Richardson trade, but if Chris Mullin was permitted the right to use the $10 million trade exception on a follow-up deal for Mike Miller, the acquisition of Wright - coupled with Monta Ellis' move to the starting lineup - would have looked a lot better. It's also too bad that Don Nelson buried Wright on the bench until his 2 most injury-riddled years, because his touch around the cup and his length on defense certainly could be used in a starting lineup lacking a 4. As is, Nellie made him a bench player... And that's what he is. But you can't just dismiss him and couple him with someone like Fuller, who got every opportunity to play, just because you're still upset over the JRich trade.

A one-dimensional shooting guard with a big contract SHOULD be dealt for a healthy big man, 10 times outta 10. Like the recent (awful) Green Lantern movie, the problem wasn't with the planning; it was the execution. Trading for Wright, cutting salary, acquiring a TE, and promoting a better 2 into the starting role are all RIGHT moves to make... But when you bench Wright, use the saved money on renovations for your opera house, veto a good basketball trade to let the TE expire, AND play Ellis 40 minutes a night to the point of turning him into a less effective volume shooter, that's all how the plan was executed; not the plan itself.

Some folks will blame Mullin for the moves made under his watch, but I prefer to keep it in the perspective of what he was allowed to do and how the coach played the pieces he acquired.

It can be seen that way, but fact is it turned out horrible. BWright has never proven his ability of being a lottery pick and has been a bust his whole career, though this season he is doing his part as a backup on a good Mavs team.

JRich was a great player when he was here. He became an outside shooter more, but still took it to the basket and posted up well, as well as being a pretty good defender, better than Monta usually was when he was here. I just think the team could have gotten much more for JRich, a big guy as well, instead of just an unproven lottery pick and not a high pick at that. TEs mean nothing if not used properly and that was probably more the owner's fault than anything else, that Riley guy as well.

Maybe Fuller was really a bust who got chances, but the other bigs I mentioned (AR, Diogu and O'bryant) had next to no chance, getting little minutes in their time here. O'bryant was garbage, but the other two showed on many occassions they could have been good players here.

Also, anyone who doesn't fault that trade of JRich for BWright (and it was actually JRich and another player) or sees it as understandable, can't be against the trade of Richmond for Owens back in the 1991 offseason. Owens was a contributor in his three years here, right off the bat in his rookie season, being a very good starting PF.

You're right; they have to like the trade in principle. When Nellie traded Richmond for Owens, he was sacrificing a good 2 in order to get a 4. Like the Brandan Wright deal, it didn't work out in hindsight. But the idea of trading up, in terms of size, is a noble one. Both of those trades were bold and full of risk and unfortunately, neither of them worked out.

Don't count out AR yet. Like I said, big men take 5-6 years to understand the pro game. Hell, last night we saw another example of that in Andrew Bynum. Big guys take 4, 5, 6 years to get their sea legs. O'Bryant has washed outta the NBA and last I heard, Diogu was keeping the towels warm in San Antonio, but AR is still finding minutes to explore his game. In another couple seasons, he could put it all together. He may not, but it's dangerous to write him off this early. Big guys are like wine.